Deliberative Democracy Index in South Africa
South Africa: Deliberative Democracy Index was 0.651 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.651
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
35th
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.679
in 2008
All-time low
0.118
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Deliberative Democracy Index in South Africa, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, deliberative democracy index in South Africa stood at 0.651.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deliberative democracy index in South Africa peaked at 0.679 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.118, in 1900.
That places South Africa 35th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Deliberative Democracy Index in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.118 | — |
| 1901 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.141 | +19.5% |
| 1911 | 0.161 | +14.2% |
| 1912 | 0.161 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.169 | +5.0% |
| 1914 | 0.169 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.169 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.168 | -0.6% |
| 1917 | 0.168 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.168 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.168 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.169 | +0.6% |
| 1921 | 0.169 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.169 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.169 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.169 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.169 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.169 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.169 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.169 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.169 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.168 | -0.6% |
| 1931 | 0.17 | +1.2% |
| 1932 | 0.172 | +1.2% |
| 1933 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.171 | -0.6% |
| 1948 | 0.139 | -18.7% |
| 1949 | 0.137 | -1.4% |
| 1950 | 0.137 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.137 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.137 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.136 | -0.7% |
| 1954 | 0.136 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.136 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.136 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.136 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.136 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.137 | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 0.136 | -0.7% |
| 1961 | 0.128 | -5.9% |
| 1962 | 0.129 | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.128 | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 0.127 | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 0.127 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.133 | +4.7% |
| 1981 | 0.137 | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 0.137 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.137 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.137 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.139 | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 0.142 | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 0.142 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.141 | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 0.155 | +9.9% |
| 1990 | 0.231 | +49.0% |
| 1991 | 0.244 | +5.6% |
| 1992 | 0.249 | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 0.262 | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 0.374 | +42.7% |
| 1995 | 0.589 | +57.5% |
| 1996 | 0.601 | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 0.601 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.597 | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 0.616 | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 0.645 | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 0.645 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.645 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.645 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.666 | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 0.678 | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 0.678 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.678 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.679 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 0.672 | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 0.674 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 0.675 | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 0.673 | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 0.64 | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 0.632 | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 0.631 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 0.631 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.626 | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 0.637 | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 0.629 | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 0.631 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.646 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 0.62 | -4.0% |
| 2023 | 0.612 | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 0.647 | +5.7% |
| 2025 | 0.651 | +0.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.651 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3275, 2.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.651 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2275, 2.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.118 | 0.118 | 0.118 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.1642 | 0.141 | 0.169 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.169 | 0.169 | 0.169 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1714 | 0.168 | 0.172 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.1651 | 0.137 | 0.172 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1364 | 0.136 | 0.137 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1296 | 0.128 | 0.136 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1285 | 0.127 | 0.129 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.14 | 0.133 | 0.155 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4364 | 0.231 | 0.616 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6631 | 0.645 | 0.679 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6448 | 0.626 | 0.675 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6345 | 0.612 | 0.651 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More social development data for South Africa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 55,177 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is deliberative democracy index in South Africa?
- Deliberative democracy index in South Africa was 0.651 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest deliberative democracy index recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.679 in 2008.
- What is the lowest deliberative democracy index recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.118 in 1900.
- How does South Africa rank for deliberative democracy index?
- South Africa ranks 35th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is deliberative democracy index rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Deliberative Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, as well as the extent to which political elites justify their positions, justify them with the common good, acknowledge counterarguments, consult elites in policy changes, and society deliberates policy changes.